


burdens shared and halved

by knockoffmulder



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Cuddling, F/F, Yearning, kira has a nightmare and a crush on dax
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knockoffmulder/pseuds/knockoffmulder
Summary: Kira has a nightmare, and doesn't want to be alone. Naturally, she goes to see Dax, even though it's the middle of the night.
Relationships: Jadzia Dax/Kira Nerys
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51





	burdens shared and halved

Sometimes even now, even though it's been years, there are nights where she wakes up drenched in sweat, heart pounding, already out of breath as though she'd been running somewhere. It's always the same nightmares, recycled over and over since Nerys was a child, of the horrors she had witnessed against herself and her people, and all the times she might have died fighting for their freedom. 

She goes through her ritual of post-nightmare breathing exercises, and then changes out of her by-then-uncomfortably-sticky pajamas before wrapping herself up in her softest blanket, ordering a cup of tea from the replicator, and settling on the couch to drink it. 

Nerys is used to being on her own, even after her nightmares, but tonight she finds herself yearning for company besides her own. Unsurprisingly, her thoughts drift to Jadzia, as they often do these days. The two of them have become close friends since Jadzia was posted to DS9, but Nerys can't deny to herself that she's always found the lieutenant incredibly attractive. For a while she was able to ignore her crush in favor of friendship, but lately she's found herself longing for more. 

In the safety of her quarters, she indulges in the fantasy that Jadzia returns her feelings, and she slowly finishes her tea while imagining arms wrapped around her. 

As she drains the dregs from her cup, she can't help but wonder if Jadzia is up right now. Probably not, it's- "Computer, what time is it?" "0342." -it's very late. She doesn't think she will be able to sleep anymore tonight.

For a while she lays on the couch, thinking of everything and nothing. _What if Jadzia isn't asleep, though?_ she wonders sometime later. _You could go see._

This is how she finds herself traversing the habitat ring in the middle-of-the-night gloom, with bare feet and her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. It's silly to be doing this, she knows. She's a grown woman, and she doesn't need comfort after a nightmare. And yet…

And yet, she arrives at Jadzia's door and reaches out for the chime. 

Waits. 

Waits a little longer. 

Chimes again. 

Waits. 

Considers heading back to her quarters. 

Waits. 

Reaches out to chime one more time- but before her hand touches the panel the door slides open to reveal a sleep-rumpled Jadzia, blinking to adjust her eyes from the total darkness of her quarters to the near-darkness of the corridor. 

"Nerys?" she asks around a yawn, "is something wrong?"

"No," Nerys answers automatically. She reconsiders. "Well, sort of. I, um, I had a nightmare and I didn't want to be alone, but that's silly and I shouldn't have woken you up. I'm sorry, I'll just go back to my room and let you go back to sleep." She begins to move away from the door but Jadzia, slightly more alert now, reaches out and puts a hand on her arm to stop her. 

"No, Nerys, please. Come in. I'm glad you came to me for company, I don't mind being woken up." She's smiling softly at Nerys, and waits for her to walk in before moving away from the door and allowing it to shut. She leads Nerys to the couch and bids her to sit down. "Do you want something to drink? Tea, or warm milk? Water?" 

Nerys shakes her head. "I already had some tea. I just didn't want to be alone with my thoughts anymore. Sit with me?"

"You don't have to ask me twice," Jadzia says playfully, and settles onto the couch right beside her. Their bodies are pressed together from shoulder to knee, save for where her blanket is in the way. Feeling emboldened by the darkness, Nerys wiggles until she can free some of the blanket, and offers it to Jadzia, who accepts. And then they are wrapped up together, and Nerys thinks to herself that she can't remember the last time she felt so safe and comfortable.

After some time sitting in silence, Jadzia asks, "Do you want to talk about it? The nightmare?"

"Not really, I just-" she isn't sure what she wants. "I….I think I just want a hug."

"You've come to the right place, then. I give excellent hugs," Jadzia replies, and Nerys can hear the grin in her voice. Jadzia shifts so that she can get an arm around Nerys' shoulders, and Nerys allows herself to be drawn in until her head is leaning against Jadzia's collarbone. 

Jadzia rubbed her hand up and down Nerys' arm, soothingly. They sat in silence and she found herself drifting, somewhere between awake and asleep. Before she dropped off completely, she reached out and grasped Jadzia's other hand. 

Nerys fell asleep enveloped in an entirely foreign feeling of warmth and contentment.

When she woke up again, it was to a gentle snoring coming from above her and a stiffness in her limbs; she realized first that she must have fallen asleep, amazingly, and not moved for some time, and then that the snoring was coming from Jadzia, who still had her arms around Nerys but had evidently dozed off herself at some point. 

Despite being stiff, Nerys couldn't remember waking up and feeling so refreshed. Slowly, she tried to stretch out her legs, without moving enough to wake Jadzia up. Then she began to move Jadzia's arm, hoping to be able to sit up. Before she had gotten very far in the endeavor, Jadzia tightened her grip and pulled Nerys back down. 

"Where're you goin'?" she slurred, clearly not totally awake.

"Nowhere, I was just-"

"Good, don't go anywhere," Jadzia murmured. Nerys tilted her head back so she could see Jadzia's face, insomuch as she could see in the dimness. Jadzia's eyes were half open, and she was gazing fondly down at Nerys. 

She felt herself smile back unconsciously. Jadzia hummed a little, and squeezed Nerys briefly. "You look s'cute, all rumpled from sleepin'," Jadzia said with a smile. 

Nerys ducked her head to hide the smile and the blush on her cheeks. "Thank you," she muttered. 

"Do you feel any better?" Jadzia asked. 

"Much," Nerys replied, and looked back up at Jadzia, who was smiling softly at her. Nerys felt her breath catch at the expression on Jadzia's face. Without deciding to, she leaned up slightly and pressed her lips to Jadzia's, and then pulled away quickly as her brain caught up with her body. "Sorry, I-" she began, but was cut off by Jadzia capturing her lips in a second kiss, this one more passionate than the first. 

When they broke apart, breathing heavily, Jadzia chuckled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."  
"Really?" Nerys couldn't keep the surprise from her voice. 

"Is that shocking?" Jadzia seemed amused. 

"I just didn't think that I would be so lucky. For you to feel the same way, I mean," she admitted. 

Before Jadzia could respond, the computer alarm went off. "Time to get ready for my shift," she said with a smirk. 

"I should go back to my quarters and get ready as well," Nerys admitted, somewhat reluctant. 

"Then I'll see you shortly, Major," Jadzia said teasingly. 

"Indeed, Lieutenant," she responded. 

"Have dinner with me tonight? As a date." The teasing tone was gone and now Jadzia looked perfectly serious. 

"Wouldn't miss it," she answered.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter [@troicrusher](http://www.twitter.com/troicrusher) if you want to talk about kiradax or any other aspect of star trek


End file.
